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OCTOBER DUMBER, 1861. 



BY 



LEWIS H. STEINER, M. D. 



CHAMBERS BURG, PA.: 

M. KIEFFER k Ca's CALORIC PRINTING PRESS. 

1861, 



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TABLE MOVINGS AND SPffilT RAPPINGS. 



1. Les Tables tourn antes ; Les Mediums et les Esprit*. Par Louis Figuier. 

2. Spirit-Rapping made easy. Once a Week, 1860. 403, 489 and 512. 



Nihil sub sole novum, nee valet quisquam dicere : Ecce hoc recens est: 
jam enim praecessit in saeculis, quae fuerunt ante nos. — Ecclesiastes 1 : 10. 

Our delusions are like the sports of children, — they have 
their day of honor and when that is over their place is oc- 
cupied by that which is for the time being more novel ; 
both delusions and sports move in cycles, and the old is 
ever being reproduced to demand attention or wonder as 
in the days of its first appearance. The very Salem witch- 
es, whose wondrous mischievous performances excited our 
smiles years since, and made us pity the credulous New 
England fathers, performed no deeds more ludicrous 
than some of those which are known in common parlance 
as " table-movings " and " spirit-rappings ;" still there is a 
family resemblance between the two which satisfies us the 
modern performances are not more dignified, mysterious 
or more calculated to challenge our respect than those 
produced in the last century. In previous articles pub- 
lished in the current volume of the Review,* we have en- 
deavored to show how hysteria would explain many of the 
bodily and mental phenomena exhibited by the fanatical, 
and how involuntary complicity of thought would explain 
muscular movements which had been declared altogether 
beyond the agency of volition, and the result of some 
mysterious power. In the present article, we hope to show 
how these two causes may explain so much of the wonder- 
ful in the latest and most fashionable delusion of the times, 
that we will be justified in believing the whole to be a 

Mer. Rev. XIII, 33, 238, 374. 



use as our guide the impartial, critical mind of Figuier, 
although we should not consider his skepticism as a relia- 
ble guide in the second method of examination. 

Many of the wonders of spiritualism were anticipated by 
the operations of Count Cagliostro, who, for a long time, 
occupied the attention of the French people by his pretend- 
ed powers over things hidden in the bosom of the future. 
His magic mirrors exhibited much that has since been ex- 
plained by the phenomena of hypnotism, and the influ- 
ence exerted by him and his followers over the people finds 
an explanation in the peculiar willingness evinced by per- 
sons in a high state of nervous exaltation to assume, as 
their own, any direction which a strong mind may strive 
to give them. Other phenomena, belonging to the so- 
called animal magnetism, attracted attention from students 
in different parts of the world, but these phenomena mul- 
tiplied in the year 1846 to such an extent that a furor was 
created on the subject. 

The cas*e of Angelique Cottin, a girl, fourteen years old, 
of the village of Boutigny is so remarkable that an exam- 
ination of the facts will prepare us for the consideration of 
the Table-rappings of the United States. Early in Janua- 
ry 1846, this young girl being engaged in weaving some 
silk gloves, the oak table to which the woof was attached 
was observed to move about, and efforts to keep it at rest 
proved unavailing. Her companions shrieked so as to 
bring in the neighbors. These requested the girls to seat 
themselves at the table again, with the view of seeing 
whether the movements would be renewed, — but the phe- 
nomena were only reproduced when Angelique renewed her 
position at the woof, — the table then began to sway back- 
wards and forwards and finally it was upset. Of course the 
conclusion arrived at was that she was bewitched (it is a 
convenient thing to have some word which can be employ- 
ed as an explanation for that which is obscure and unintelli- 
gible). The next morning the same movements were ex- 
hibited by the table when she took her place, and between 
eight and nine o'clock they increased so much in character 



fraud or a self-deception on the part of those who are en- 
gaged in the manifestations. We do not deem it necessa- 
ry to attempt the explanation of every thanmaturgic exhi- 
bition. Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus is a very good 
maxim in such examinations. If a portion of the opera- 
tions attributed to supernatural means is found to be 
clearly the result of ordinary causes, the conclusion is not 
unnatural that the whole may have been produced in the 
same way. 

It seems to us a waste of time to discuss whether spiritu- 
al (our readers will understand that this word is employed 
throughout this article as simply indicating a series of 
phenomena or effects, which have been attributed to super- 
natural causes,) communications have proceeded from truth- 
ful or lying spirits, from messengers of good or the father 
of lies. The first thing to be done is to find out whether 
the whole series of phenomena could be produced by agen- 
cies which are open to scientific examination, and should 
such au investigation be attended with success, we are at 
once placed in a position to give a decision. But should 
we fail, then the nature of these phenomena and the nature 
of the pretended supernatural information may be inquired 
into, so as to find out whether they be of sufficient magni- 
tude to invest with the character of the miraculous, which 
inquiry would be settled by their self- authenticating char- 
acter; or are worthless and consist of a series of lies and 
deceptions, in which case it would be of no importance to 
know whether the devil was mediately or immediately con- 
cerned, since he may work just as effectively in doing evil, 
in either way. We propose the first mode of examination 
in this article believing it will furnish us satisfactory re- 
sults, and that the presumptive dignity, which arises from 
a serious theological consideration of this subject, should 
not be allowed to rest on it and that some of our able the- 
ologians have really done injury to the cause of true reli- 
gion by discussing the nature of these manifestations as 
serious theological errors, whereas they never rise above 
the level of cleverly-executed tricks. In this view we shall 



that it was necessary to assign her another table for her 
work, and this table was immediately upset. To avoid 
this interference with her work, the glove on which she 
was working was attached to a trough weighing 75 kils- 
grammes (about pounds), but this was also caused to rock. 
These effects were soon communicated to the whole neigh- 
borhood, and the villagers insisted that the spirit which 
was, in their opinion, the cause of all these erratic move- 
ments, should be exorcised. The priest, however, desired 
to see with his own eyes the phenomena, and soon con- 
vinced himself that not religious rites, but medical treat- 
ment was demanded. 

Careful examination being made as to the phenomena, it 
was discovered that various other bodies were repelled with 
great force, when she approached them, and even" when 
her clothing was brought into contact, — special repulsive 
power seemed to exist in the lower portion of her skirts. 
Shocks were also received when the knuckles of her com- 
panions were brought near her face. She was prevented 
from occupying a chair or bed and could only be comfort- 
able when resting on her knees in the middle of the house. 
With the view of having some occupation, she attempted 
to hull a basket of beans, but the latter, as soon as her 
hands were plunged in the basket, commenced leaping 
about in all directions. The phenomena of repulsion were 
exhibited in many ways, and their fame reached Paris, 
whither her parents brought her with the view of making 
some profit. Men of science attended her exhibitions, and 
Arago himself, at the observatory, had an opportunity of 
noticing the following phenomena : " She directed her 
hand towards a sheet of paper placed on the table, when 
the paper was immediately attracted with great force to- 
wards the hand. — Angelique having approached a small 
stand and gently touched it with her apron the stand was 
repelled. — Being seated on a chair with her feet placed on 
the ground, the chair was violently projected against the 
wall, while she was thrown in an opposite direction. This 
experiment was repeated several times, and Arago and 



V. 



his companions failed to keep the chair firm and im- 
movable." On the strength of these phenomena Arago 
demanded that the Academy of Sciences should appoint a 
commission for their investigation. Arago, Becquerel, Is- 
idore-Geoffroy, Saint-Hilaire, Babinet, Eayer and Pariset 
physicists and naturalists — were appointed to conduct the 
same. They endeavored, by physical apparatus, to detect 
the presence of free electricity, analogous to that which is 
found in the electrical eel (gymnotus electricus), the elec- 
trical torpedo, &c. But no such free electricity was reveal- 
ed, and the phenomena of repulsion of furniture, &c, be- 
came more and more rare. Their report (March 9, 1846) de- 
clares that no phenomena of repulsion were exhibited 
in their presence when portions of her dress were brought 
in contact with articles of furniture, and " the only 
fact observed by them was that of violent movements 
communicated to chairs on which she was sitting. Seri- 
ous suspicions having been excited by the manner in which 
these movements took place, they determined to examine 
them very carefully, and came to the conclusion that they 
might have been produced by concealed adroit movements 
of her hands and feet." 

A similar case to that of Angelique Cottin was presented 
by Honorine Seguin, aged thirteen years six months; tables 
were over-turned and chairs made to move about in the 
most erratic manner. The effects produced were absolute- 
ly involuntary and after some weeks disappeared never to 
return again. In this case, also, the electrical tests em- 
ployed could detect no indications of the presence of free 
electricity. 

Figuier thinks that the case of Honorine confirms the 
truth of the electric properties alleged to exist in Angelique, 
and proves that there was " neither fraud, nor collusion, 
but simply a pathological condition, which disappeared as 
spontaneously as it appeared, and like all abnormal troubles 
disturbing the nervous system may disappear. By this 
explanation the case of Angelique is freed from the su- 
pernatural character, which it was supposed to possess, and 



8 

the scientific explanation proves to be of more account than 
systematic skepticism and denial." 

We are at a loss to account for the conclusion thus 
stated. Curious movements are attributed to electrical 
action, but the most delicate tests fall to detect the presence 
of electricity,. — tests that were most satisfactory in detect- 
ing it in animals, whose physical demonstrations of power 
were feeble in comparison with those of the two girls, 
failed. The possibility, nay, the probability of these effects 
being the results of voluntary muscular exertions is dis- 
tinctly stated by men who have examined the cases with 
scientific care and unprejudiced minds, and is not the con- 
clusion most natural that what cannot be proven to be the 
result of electrical power and yet may have been produced 
by muscular exertion, has really been thus produced ? We 
think there can be but one answer to this question. In re- 
ply to the query, "What motives could these poor girls have 
had thus to deceive," we have simply to say, that hysteria 
is theiruitful parent of manifold forms of eccentric conduct 
which cannot be judged of by the same rules that are ap- 
plicable in cases of healthy minds acting in healthy bodies. 

An accumulation of free electricity on the surface of the 
human body is not a very rare occurrence. In dry, cold 
mornings the crackling sound produced by the passage of 
a horn comb through the hair, is attributable to this cause. 
Occasionally we may find a young lady who, by shuffling 
her slippered foot over the hearth rug, accumulates so 
much of the electrical fluid as to be enabled to ignite a jet 
of gas, issuing from the gas-burner, or even to communi- 
cate a violent shock from her knuckles to a bystander. 
These cases, however, carry with them their own explana- 
tion and bear no relation to other movements, which when 
carefully examined, can be explained without the existence 
of electrical aid. 

In the same year, 1846, while Angelique Cottin's case 
was attracting some attention in Paris, a coal merchant liv- 
ing in the Eue Neuve de Cluny was subjected to a series 
of annoyances, in comparison with which the feats of 



ground and lofty tumbling executed by furniture and 
kitchen utensils, in the days of Mather, were simple child's 
play. Building stones were hurled against the doors, win- 
dows and roof. The size of the stones and the force with 
which they fell seem to militate against the idea that they 
were thrown by hand. The occupant of the house made 
complaint to the authorities, showing the damage done not 
only to his house and furniture, but also to his own body, 
from the missives thus mysteriously hurled against the 
house. The police failed to detect the cause, which was at 
last presumed to be the coal-dealer himself, who had be- 
come dissatisfied with the house and hoped by this means 
to get rid of his lease. 

These cases seemed to produce others ; moving tables^ 
dancing tea trays, and gymnastic tea pots began to appear in 
different parts of France. Even weighty articles of furni- 
ture, highly respected and endeared to families by years of 
constant association, caught the contagion and attempted 
the slow movements of a minuet de la cour when the cir- 
cumstances of their construction did not justify the quick 
movements of the fashionable waltz. The epidemic al- 
ways seized houses occupied by families who had bright 
and quick servants. Rarely if ever was any acknowledg- 
ment made by those suspected of being the mistresses of 
ceremonies at these revels of inanimate bodies, and, as in 
the days of Salem, history could only record the facts and 
leave posterity to reason on the causes. The most exciting 
and interesting events must of course come to an end, and 
finally the fantastic movements of household and kitchen 
furniture in France ceased, — the dignity of heir loom chairs 
and tables was no longer disturbed. But the spirit which 
was pro tempore quieted in France soon asserted its author- 
ity and might in our own land and here more wonderful 
events were produced, and were unhesitatingly attributed 
to supernatural agencies, which certain favored media were 
supposed capable of enlisting in their service whenever 
they pleased. 

It has been well said that the exploded heresies and 
humbugs of Europe grow with remarkable luxuriance when 

2 



10 

transplanted to the United States. . We are so eager for 
novelties and so energetic in our partizanship, that we 
carry the latter invariably to a most ridiculous extreme. 
Should the novelty prove to be of real value it is likely 
that the American mind will speedily make this available 
to the greatest number possible, but, on the other hand, 
should it be worthless the evil is widely disseminated and 
made to bear an abundant harvest of delusion and misery. 
This has been the case with Mesmerism, Homoeopathy, 
Hydropathy and many other forms of delusion. At times, 
however, we have returned the compliment and transplant- 
ed some of our delusions to European shores, where they 
have been kindly received and carefully nourished. Mor- 
monism has thus grown quite luxuriantly in Europe, and 
gathered a number of converts. Table movings have been 
common to the two continents, but on our own they have 
prevailed so extensively as to give the appearance of an ep- 
idemic which in a few years swept the entire country, in- 
volving all classes, ages and professions. It would be im- 
possible to give even a general outline of the history of this 
epidemic, or to mention the number of books that have 
been written on the subject, some professing to consider 
it scientifically, others theologically, others remarkable on- 
ly for the stupid blindness of their writers, and others 
again for the unbounded gullibility with which their au- 
thors seem to be supplied. Some few cases must be con- 
sidered and then an attempt be made at their explanation 
in cases where the parties concerned were knowingly per- 
petrating a fraud, as well as in those where they were self- 
deceived. 

The names of the Misses Fox are connected in this coun- 
try with the reintroduction of table movings. They took 
possession of a house in Hydesville, N*. Y., from which the 
previous occupant had decamped in consequence of annoy- 
ances in the way of knocks at the front door, movements 
of furniture and various other strange phenomena, w^hich, 
to say the least, were not conducive to the comfort and peace 
of its inmates. These ladies soon learned not to fear the 



11 

manifestations, but discovered that they were produced by 
supernatural beings and that the latter could be made use- 
ful as intelligence-agents to novelty-seeing humanity. At 
first, the sounds were supposed to be produced by rats, but 
examination showed that they must proceed from some 
other cause. Familiarity with the sounds emboldened the 
mother of the young ladies to address their source one 
evening in the month of March, 1848. To the question, 
"Does the sound proceed from a dead person?" there was 
an affirmative answer, that is to say a knock. The ages of 
the ladies were also correctly given by a number of knocks, 
one answering to each year of their lives. The whole fam- 
ily were attracted by this novelty — and Mrs. Fish (a mar- 
ried daughter of the family), living in Rochester, soon be- 
came an adapt in interpreting these knockings, her father's 
family having removed from Hydesville, bringing along 
with them, mirabile dictu, the knockings with all their pe- 
culiarities. The whole thing was astonishing — revelations 
were to be had from the spirit-world by the simple payment 
of a fee to this family. The veil hiding the mysterious 
realm of the dead from the eye of man was torn down, and 
the spirits of deceased relatives could be summoned from 
" the bourne whence no traveller returns " to answer idle 
questions as to their ages, names, &c; — and not only this, 
the manes of the great departed, whose acquaintance in 
life was denied to commoners, could be induced to answer 
the summons of any blockhead whose money was expended 
for the purpose. Here was a complete realization of the 
equality to which that great leveller — death — reduces all 
men, making them even subject to the whims and caprices 
of the living. 

The nature of the exhibitions given by the Fox family 
differed somewhat as the company, assembled to witness 
them, differed. If credulity was largely developed in the 
spectators, the exhibitions were more wonderful and niys- 
terious than when those of little faith and much scientific 
inquisitiveness were present. A reverend gentleman, 
whose studies had doubtless unfitted him for close physi- 




12 

cal scrutiny of phenomena, was favored with the sight of a 
shadowy hand which gently stroked a lock of his hair, with 
the contact of an icy hand on his face causing a chill 
throughout his frame similar to that produced by the con- 
tact of a dead body, and with the singular appearance of 
furniture moving about in the wildest disorder. He is sat- 
isfied that if deception had existed he could have detected 
it, and prefers to be credulous as to the view which sug- 
gests the action of supernatural agencies, rather than to 
that view which admits of fraud or cheiromantic dexterity 
in effecting such unusual occurrences. 

But a corps of scientific gentlemen, after examining with 
great care the knockings and movings produced under the 
superintendence of this same family, do not Besitate to pro- 
nounce them the results of physical agencies employ- 
ed by living human beings, — having been able in some 
cases to detect the probable modus operandi. 

The believers in the supernatural causes of these phe- 
nomena were not confined to the illiterate, but were found 
in all classes of society. Many of the clergy, members of 
the legal and medical profession, tradesmen, scholars and 
mechanics were enrolled in the list of the so-called spiritu- 
alists. Those who paid much attention to the subject were 
soon recognizable in the community by a change in habits 
and manners, not unlike those always occurring among 
enthusiasts on all subjects. At least one prominent scienti- 
fic scholar was enlisted in their ranks, and it was surpriz- 
ing to see how his natural acuteness of powers of observa- 
tion were absolutely blunted by his faith, so that, that which 
bystanders could perceive was a badly- concealed trick was 
sometimes adopted with readiness by him as absolute truth. 
An illustration of this we will present further on in the 
course of this article. 

Finally the excitement became so great in the United 
States, that a petition was addressed to Congress, signed by 
a large number of citizens, directing its attention to the 
subject and asking a public examination of the same. This 
petition enumerates the phenomena and asks for an exam- 



13 

ination by a commission appointed by Congress. It states 
that " it cannot be denied with any reason that the various 
phenomena of which it treats are destined to produce im- 
portant and durable results, affecting in a permanent man- 
ner, the physical condition, mental development and moral 
character of a large proportion of the American people. It 
is patent that these occult powers influence the essential 
principles of health and life, of thought and action, — and 
hence they may be destined to modify the conditions of 
our existence, of the faith and philosophy of our age, as 
well as of the government of the world." For these reasons 
the petitioners demanded that a suitable commission be ap- 
pointed to prosecute investigations on this subject. 

The phenomena called spiritual may be classed under 
four heads — 1, the movement of tables and other articles of 
furniture ; 2, rappings and knockings which were alleged 
to be caused by supernatural beings with the view of com- 
municating with man; 3, the reception of written messages 
alleged to be written by spiritual beings acting through the 
body of the person holding the pencil or even directly mov- 
ing the pencil without any intermediation ; 4, the presen- 
tation of the actual person of the spirit so as to be recogni- 
zable by bystanders. "We do not pretend to say that all 
the protean forms, which this disease assumed, could be 
strictly confined to these four heads, but their considera- 
tion will put us in a position to understand the subject tol- 
erably well. 

As regards those employed in the movements of articles 
of furniture we must willingly recognize the fact that the 
majority are perfectly honest and sincere, incapable of an 
attempt to deceive. In such view it becomes important to 
discover how one may be active in producing such move- 
ments without wishing it, or even when firmly determined 
that he will resist any tendency to move that he may dis- 
cover in the table. Ordinarily such movements are pro- 
duced by the following arrangement : a number of persons 
are seated around the table with their hands resting on it ; 
— conversation or levity of any kind is prohibited, — the 



14 

mind becomes entirely fixed or the movement expected. 
Eventually this takes place, and the rotation is accomplish- 
ed with greater or less rapidity. In our article on 2 he Di- 
vining Bod we referred to Chevreul's explanation of the 
motion of the pendule explorateur, and as he bases his ex- 
planation of table movings on the theory, then advanced 
we extract the following from his letter to Ampere : 

" When I held the pendulum in my hand, a muscular 
movement of my arm, although insensible to me, forced the 
pendulum from its condition of repose, and the oscillations 
once established were soon augmented by the influence 
that vision exercised in the way of putting me into that 
peculiar disposition or tendency to motion. Still it must 
be acknowledged that the muscular movement, even when 
it has been exaggerated by this tendency to motion, can 
easily be checked, I can not say by the power of the will, 
but when one has simply the thought of trying whether it 
could be checked. There is then an intimate connection 
established between the execution of certain motions and 
the act of thinking respecting it, although this thinking is 
not the will which commands the muscular organs. In 
this respect the phenomena I have described seem to me 
to have some interest for psychology and even for natural 
science ; — they prove how easily illusions may be taken for 
reality, whenever we are investigating phenomena in the 
performance of which our own organs are engaged, and 
under circumstances which have not yet been analyzed." 

Chevreul applies the theory of insensible muscular mo- 
tion to the table movings of the times. When a number of 
persons are placed around a table, their hands being upon 
it, they are all awaiting a rotation of the same either from 
right to left or from left to right, and thus they are uncon- 
sciously acting upon the table with some force. If the 
same direction of rotation is not expected by all, no motion 
will result, — or the motion will be very slight at first and 
then increase in rapidity. When the company anxiously 
wish that the table should move, such a result is most gen- 
erally attained ; when they wish that the table should re- 



15 

main at rest, motion is exceedingly rare. This theory may 
be adequate for the explanation of simple rotation of tables, 
yet there seems to be something wanting when we endea- 
vor to apply it to the movement of bodies of great weight. 

Babinet presents a theory, substantially the same as that 
originated by Chevreul, relating however only to the move- 
ments of tables and not taking into consideration the rap- 
pings and knockings which attend the exhibitions of me- 
diums. u Every thing is referred to unconscious motions 
of our muscular fibres, to nascent or incipient motions." 

Faraday has also investigated this subject with great 
care, and showed that the rotation was produced by the 
muscular force of the persons seated at the table without 
the aid and assistance of any other power whatever. By a 
very simple experiment he showed that the hands actually 
exercised some force before the table commenced to move. 
AH these explanations are based upon truth, but they do 
not present us a theory complete enough to meet all cases. 
Something more is still necessary. It is true they furnish 
us enough to overthrow the pretensions of the spiritualists, 
but not enough to satisfy the man of science. Science is 
never satisfied with mere negations of pretended explana- 
tions ; within her own domain she is never satisfied unless 
she can remove all obscurity and illumine the whole field 
of view. 

As the history of novelties during this century would 
lead us to expect, the movements were attributed by some 
to a fluid, whether electric., magnetic, or vital, it was not 
stated. Gasparin has been the principal supporter of this 
theory. It is the old theory advanced by believers in An- 
imal Magnetism. "According to the partizans of this 
theory, the same fluid which, emanating from the body of 
the magnetizer, plunges the subject exposed to its action 
into a state of somnambulism, is capable by exhalation 
from the bodies of persons forming the chain, of shaking a 
table and, by its own mechanical impulse, of producing 
motion." Babinet has overthrown this attempted ex- 
planation by the statement that the nervous influence can not 



16 

pass beyond the epidermis. " This is one of the most firmly 
established truths of physiology and a principle which must 
not be lost sight of, since it is sufficient to overthrow the 
hypothesis of a fluid applied to the interpretation of table^ 
movings." 

But we have been following the explanations of science, 
without listening to those which the operators themselves 
furnish on this subject; — and this is simply in accordance 
with our purpose as stated in the commencement of this 
article. Their theory, however, may be stated in few 
words, — all dogmatic statements have this peculiarity. 
" If a table turns after a quarter of an hour of fixed atten- 
tion on the part of the experimenters, the moving agency 
is spiritual ; good or bad spirits, angels or demons, have 
entered the table and have put it in motion." But before 
we are driven to the adoption of a theory, even more mys- 
terious than the phenomena themselves, it is necessary to 
look still further into the realm of the natural for the ex- 
planation. 

Indeed here we can resort to the curious facts which 
modern physiologists have studied, and to which we have 
adverted in our article on Animal Magnetism in the April 
number of the Review, — these will enable us to get some- 
thing like an explanation of the phenomena. As the ap- 
plication of hypnotism to this subject has been well made 
by Figuier, we prefer to let him speak here in his own 
words. " Let us recollect that in consequence of the great 
cerebral tension resulting from a long-continued contem- 1 
plation of a fixed object, the brain falls into a particular 
condition, which has been successively called by the names 
of magnetic state, nervous sleep, and biological state, differ- 
ent names designating different varieties of a condition, 
generally identical. Once placed in this condition, wheth- 
er by the passes of a magnetizer, as has been done since 
the time of Mesmer, or by the contemplation of a brilliant 
object, as Braid operated, afterwards imitated by Philips 
and as the Arabian and Egyptian sorcerers operated, or in- 
deed simply by strong moral excitement, examples of which 



17 

we have known, the individual falls into that automatic 
passivity which constitutes nervous sleep. He has lost the 
power of directing and controlling his will proper, and is 
in the power of another's will. A glass of water is present- 
ed to him with the declaration that it is a delicious bever- 
age, and he drinks it believing it to be wine, a liqueur or 
milk according to the wish of him who has so strongly 
seized, as it were, upon his existence. Thus deprived of 
the aids of his own private judgment, the individual is al- 
most a stranger to his own actions, and when restored to 
his natural condition he loses the recollection of the actions 
he has performed during the singular and temporary abdi- 
cation of the ego. He is under the influence of suggestions, 
that is to say, acceptiug, without the power of rejecting, a 
definite idea presented to him by another's will ; he acts 
and is forced to act without thought, without will, and con- 
sequently without consciousness. This theory solves a 
grave question in psychology for a man thus effected has 
lost his proper will and cannot be fully responsible for his 
acts. He acts, determined by images intruded on his brain, 
analogous to those visions which Cuvier supposed were 
fixed in the sensorium of the bee, and which represent the 
form and proportions of the cell that instinct impels it 
to construct. The principle of suggestions explains perfect- 
ly the phenomena so varied and sometimes so terrible of 
hallucination, and shows at the same time what slight 
ground separates a man laboring under hallucination from 
a monomaniac. It is not astonishing to find that in a large 
number of table turners, the hallucination survives the ex- 
periment and is converted into positive madness." 

" This principle of suggestions, under the influence of 
nervous sleep, appears to us to furnish an explanation of 
the phenomena of table-movings in their simplest form. 
Let us see what takes place in the chain of persons who 
have arranged themselves for an experiment of this kind. 
Fixed attention and introspection of thought is recommend- 
ed. The longer this attention continues, and the moral 
excitement continues, the more the brain becomes fatigued, 

S 



18 

and the thoughts become confused, * * In such a par- 
ty of persons, * * the largest number experience no 
particular effect. But it is a rare occurrence if one of them 
is not thrown for an instant in the hypnotic or biological 
condition. It is necessary that this condition should con- 
tinue but for a second in order that the phenomena should 
be produced. One member of the circle falls into this state 
of nervous half-somnolence, having no consiousness of his 
acts and no other thought than the fixed idea that the ta- 
ble will move, and actually unknown to himself gives the 
impulse to the table ; at this instant he may employ a mus- 
cular force which is, relatively speaking, considerable and 
the table moves. This impulse being given, this unconscious 
action accomplished, nothing more is needed. The individ- 
ual, thus slightly biologized, may immediately return to 
his original condition, for scarcely has this movement of 
mechanical displacement been exhibited, than all those who 
compose . the circle rise and follow the movement, or, to 
speak differently, make the table continue in motion, be- 
lieving that they but follow its motions. As for the indi- 
vidual, the involuntary cause of the phenomena, since he 
cannot recollect any thing done in the state of nervous sleep, 
— he is ignorant of what he has done and is indignant if 
accused of having pushed the table. He suspects the other 
members of the circle of having done that of which they 
accuse him." 

It will be observed that this explanation applies to the 
simplest movements of tables over floors, — such move- 
ments as occur when neophytes in the psychomantic art 
are experimenting on small tables and other articles of fur- 
niture. The latter really are moved without any intention 
of deception on the part of those composing the circle, — 
and with the simple phenomenon of a table peregrinating 
a room with a circle of excited persons surrounding it, each 
thinking he is resisting the tendency to motion, when in 
fact he is aiding it, this explanation has to do. "We quote 
from the same author his explanation as to more complex 
phenomena, reserving an exhibit of the means by which 



w 

^these phenomena may be dishonestly produced until we 
have finished what we have to present concerning those 
persons engaged in table-moving who are self-deceived, 
in consequence of the nervous state into which they are 
thrown. " As to movements of tables in response to ques- 
tions, table-legs that rise in obedience to orders, and which 
by the number of blows given respond to questions, the 
same theory is available, if you only admit that among the 
persons composing the circle there is one whose state of 
nervous sleep continues for a certain length of time. This 
individual, hypnotized without his knowledge, responds to 
questions and orders given him, inclining the table or ma- 
king it give the number of blows required by the questions. 
When restored to his natural condition he forgets all the 
actions done in this way, just as every magnetized or hyp- 
notized individual loses the recollection of acts performed 
during that condition. The individual is a kind of waking 
sleeper; he is non sui compos, — is in a mental condition 
which partakes both of the character of somnambulism and 
fascination. He is not asleep, — he is charmed or fascinated 
in consequence of the strong moral concentration imposed 
on him : he is a medium. But as this latter form of experi- 
ment is of a higher order than the first, it is not accom- 
plished in every group. In order that the table should re- 
spond to questions that may be asked, it is necessary that 
the persons who operate should have practised the phe- 
nomena for some time, and that among them there should 
be one, a subject specially liable to fall Into this condition, 
Who habitually falls into it quickly and continues in it for 
some time, he must be in a word a tried medium, * * Cus- 
tom makes the attainment of the condition an easy and sure 
thing. Practised mediums can in a very short time place 
themselves in this condition of nervous half-somnolence, 
which makes the fact of the rotation of the table inevitable, 
and the movement communicated by them to the article of 
furniture conformable to the demand." 

The simple fact that tables were moved when a circle 
of persons were seated around with their hands resting on 



20 

them, was at first a novelty so strange that the world did 
not weary of witnessing it for a longtime. Fatigue, ennui 
at length demanded something additional. This was fur- 
nished by the knocks, produced by the rising and falling 
of one or two of the legs of the table. It was an easy 
matter to attribute these knocks to supernatural causes, as 
their real cause was not suspected. Soon an alphabet was 
arranged and then the whole armament was prepared for 
invading the credulity of man and demanding his unre- 
served faith. The hypnotized individual (we are speaking 
now of honest operators, our attention will be claimed by 
the others directly,) produced such movements as answered 
to the questions propounded. These answers were not 
always correct, — nay rarely were correct, — still a ready ex- 
planation was at hand in the statement that lying spirits 
would sometimes displace those who dealt in truth and 
thus error was always possible. And here a significant fact 
may be aliuded to. Errors were more frequent when the 
circle was composed of simple-minded, honest, ingenuous 
persons, than when the crafty composed it. One would 
have supposed that the former would have been the proper 
mediums for spiritual communication, and that the bright- 
ness of the truth would shine all the more on account of 
the dullness of the medium. In truth the crafty knew how 
to prepare themselves with suitable answers for all probable 
questions, and thus the unwary spectator was most fre- 
quently taken in by them. 

Still another advance was demanded, however, in this mode 
of obtaining information from the spirit world, — human 
ingenuity was tasked on this question. A pencil was fitted 
in the end of one of the table legs, this was placed over a large 
sheet of paper, and when the movements were made, the 
answer was written out more or less legibly by the 
pencil. The transparent deception was still received bon&- 
fide by believers ; and in order to give a more ready method 
of writing a special arrangement was invented, a spirit-tablet, 
which consisted of an oval tablet, moving on castors, sup- 
plied with a pencil at one end ; it was placed on a sheet of 



21 

white paper laid on the table, — the medium's hand was 
placed on the tablet and then the answer was given by the 
tracings which the pencil made in moving over the paper* 
The slow process of spelling out words from the knocks 
was thus dispensed with, and sentences could be put to- 
gether very rapidly. But every science, art and branch of 
knowledge is progressive, and w T e are not surprized that at 
length all machinery is dispensed with, — the medium is 
placed at the table, pecil in hand, and the operator, after a 
moment's quiet reflection, addresses the question, the 
medium writes and this is the answer of the spirit. Here 
we have direct analogy, according to Figuier, between the 
medium, and the subject of the mesmerizer. Both are in 
the same psychological condition, and, when restored to the 
normal state, are ignorant as to what has transpired. Each 
at times may suppose himself animated by the spirit of 
some deceased person, and if his knowledge of the habits, 
modes of thought, style of composition and cheirography 
be at all accurate, the written answer to the request made 
will be of such a character as might reasonably be expected. 
If, however, there should exist ignorance on these points, 
then the answers will be lamentably erroneous. We have 
seen a note, purporting to have been written by Benjamin 
Franklin, the cheirography of which w r as a remarkable 
imitation of the old philosopher's, yet the substance (it was 
a note to one of his descendants) showed the silliness of 
the medium (whether honest or dishonest,) — it read thus ; 
"If my relative will have a circle at his house, I will con- 
vince him of my existence." The answer returned was, 
"Tell him that I never doubted his existence." 

But the directness of our communication with the spirit 
world does not cease with the use even of the pencil. There 
are those who pretend that their souls are taken possession 
of by the spirits of the departed, who then speak through 
their lips. The spirit evoked is then responsible for what- 
ever is said, gets all the credit, the medium having only 
the muscular labor to undergo required in pronouncing 
the words or furnishing the requisite gesticulations. 

4 



22 

Here we have all the extravagances of the past ages repro- 
duced. Nervous persons in a high state of excitement hav@ 
from time to time claimed the gift of prophecy, the power 
of presenting in a connected form the incidents of the past 
or of revealing the thoughts of the living. We have seen 
how such an asserted gift of prophecy may pass over a land 
like a mighty epidemic. What wonder then that this form 
of mental delusion should have been prevalent but a few 
years since, and that even now male and female mediums 
announce that the spirits of Webster, Clay and Jackson will, 
through their mouths, give their opinion on the national 
crisis and the duty of Americans with reference to it, or 
that some one of the holy Fathers of the Christian Church 
will denounce the Church spirit of the times, the adoption 
of rites and ceremonies, the practice of liturgical worship — 
things which might have been very good early in the his- 
tory of religion, but which are now supplanted by true 
evangelicalism, or educated morality ! The delusion, where 
the medium is honest, is most complete, terminating in a 
species of monomania, — which eventually becomes absolute 
madness. 

In this country, many victims to these delusions have ter- 
minated their lives in Asylums and some have been driv- 
en to suicide. Such a result is nothing more than what 
might be expected. The hyper-excited condition of the 
nervous system of course is attended with a low degree of 
cerebral congestion, which may terminate in mental aber- 
ration or even death. One of the principal spiritualists in 
France (Hennequin) died in a mad house, — and many a 
family circle has been broken up by the entrance of this so- 
called spiritualism with its train of mental hallucinations 
and nervous extacies. Surely the psychologico-physiolog- 
ical explanation of this whole subject is sufficient, without 
any need of theological argumentation. But with this ex- 
planation there is connected a moral : persons of a nervous 
temperament, as they value the health of their bodies, 
minds and souls, should avoid all connection with table 
movings or spirit rappings. The brain is too easily disor- 



23 

dered,— its delicate mechanism is too easily deranged for 
one with such a temperament to risk the consequences of 
hypnotic excitement, of cerebral congestion whether great 
or little. 

The so-called communications from the spirits always 
partake of the sentiments and character of thought of the 
medium. When the latter is pervaded with a vein of pie- 
ty, the language may be scriptural; when with a sceptical 
or atheistic spirit, this will be found pervading the revela- 
tion. The revelations are emphatically all things to all 
persons. It is said a medium in Paris when asked if there 
was a devil, gave the following written answer: — "J n' 
existe pas. — Satan." 

The language in which the answers are given is also that 
known to the medium, although the quasi spirit when em- 
bodied on this earth might have been absolutely ignorant 
of it : the answers are never given in the native language 
of the supposed spirit, although the questions may be ad- 
dressed in it, unless the medium should happen to be fa- 
miliar with the same. We shall never forget the indigna- 
tion of an old scientific friend, who addressed Cyrus the 
Great in Persian, when he found that Cyrus couldn't under- 
stand anything but English, and was unable even to give 
his name in ancient Persian. 

The very nature of the communications militates gener- 
ally against their originating with minds of a high order. 
They consist of trite moral sayings, or mere jinglings of 
words, in some instances of mystic nonsense. We have 
seen a savant delighted with the reception of this remark- 
able truism — " honesty must be the motto of every honest 
man." This wonderful concentration of wisdom was com- 
municated at a session when a scientific man, one of the 
first in this country, whose clearness of perception and ac- 
curacy of judgment, on all other subjects but table-movings 
et id omne genus, was not surpassed, through a medium 
(employing what was called a spintoscope) who was receiv- 
ing supposed communications from the other world. It 
was astonishing to see what triflng nonsense was received 



24 

as important truth, and bow the man of science had become 
the dupe of the medium. During the session we managed 
bj a dexterous application of one foot against the leg of 
the table to upset it in the lap of the medium. The read- 
er may judge of our surprise, wben tbe savant asked the 
question whether the table had been upset by tbe spirits, 
at bearing an affirmative answer returned by the medium. 

But few words are required on the subject of rappings, 
independent of table-movings, — rappings, the locality of 
which has generally bewildered the spectators and given 
the darkest veil of mystery to tbe whole performance. 
Prof. Flint and M. SchifF have sbown how tbese could be 
produced. Of course in treating of this portion of our sub- 
ject we no longer insist on the sincerity of the operator, — 
we have now simply to do with fraud and the way in which 
it is accomplished. There is no nervous state here, — no 
necessity of hypnotism or biology to explain the phenom- 
ena, — these belong to the region of artificial magic, and 
are susceptible of tbe same kind of study and examination 
as those of Heller, Blitz or the Fakir of Ava. " Sounds 
may be produced by tbe rapid contraction of certain mus- 
cles, without any motion perceptible on the surface of tbe 
body." * * For example, the tendon of the peroneus 
longus muscle, striking against its groove or the osseous 
surface of the fibula, is capable of producing sounds suffi- 
ciently loud to be heard at some distance. Schiff, who 
had succeeded in acquiring considerable skill in this way, 
could make at will audible sounds which were successive 
and regular." Yelpeau has shown that this kind of sound 
can be produced in various parts of the body, — the hip, the 
shoulders, &c. Flint attributed the sounds produced by 
the members of the Fox family simply to movements of 
the knee joint, the tibia acting against the former and un- 
dergoing a species of lateral displacement ; — the sounds 
were always double, one evidently resulting from the dis- 
placement and the other from the restoration of the bone. 
He had an opportunity of examining the mechanism of the 
process in the case of a young lady who had taught herself 



25 

to produce similar sounds. We can understand why fe- 
males most generally are distinguished in this " line of 
business," since the costume of the sex effectually prevents 
observation of the mechanism of the process. 

We had an opportunity during the year 1853, of exam- 
ining a case where the sounds were produced by the peron- 
eous longus muscle, and were surprised at their deceptive- 
ness. The gentleman who was kind enough to allow an 
examination with the view of satisfying ourselves on the 
subject, stood in the middle of the floor, and the sounds 
seemed to proceed from blows given beneath the floor. 

The so-called communications from the spirit-world, 
when made in audible words and sentences, necessarily 
proceed from ventriloquism. A writer in "Once a Week," 
an English journal, in several articles under the title "Spir- 
it-Rapping made Easy, or How to come out a Medium," 
has given at full length an account of the mode of produc- 
ing all the phenomena which are considered most surpris- 
ing. Many of the wonderful exhibitions of Mr. Home, 
who has been figuring before the crowned heads of Europe, 
are sufficiently explained so as to make us place Mr. H. 
among the first of modern prestidigitators. It is a signifi- 
cant fact that when Houdin — the famous French magician 
was present at one of Home's attempted exhibitions before 
the Emperor, "no manifestation took place." An enquir- 
ing master-spirit was present, and it was probably consid- 
ered impolitic to risk detection. 

" The first requisite," says our author, " is an impassive 
countenance, exhibiting no sense of shame, or fear of de- 
tection, — a natural or acquired brass, the perfection of 
which will depend, of course, upon the morale of the per- 
former. After this, the secret of the medium's power is 
the flexibility of her lower limbs. Her legs must do the 
work of arms, and her feet must be educated to act like 
hands. * It is no use to contemplate coming out as a 
medium unless you are provided with flexible legs and 
manipulative feet and toes." The author then goes on to 
give the modus operandi by which all the wondrous per- 

\ 



26 

formances of Mr. Home may be produced, and it is singu- 
lar to see how simple are the contrivances necessary to pro- 
duce the startling results. We consider the case, so far as 
the most prominent pretender to association with the spirit 
world in physical performances is concerned, to be set at 
rest, and are willing to look upon Mr. Home as a clever 
charlatan, as well as to adopt the conclusion that he is "a 
very clever ventriloquist, a superior player on the mouth- 
harmonicon ; that he possesses an accordion, probably self- 
acting, a magic lantern, a lazy-tongs, much assurance, an 
accomplice or two — perhaps many of them in various quar- 
ters — and a large circle of accommodating dupes, and of 
candid, half-doubting, half-credulous spectators." 

In our examination of this subject we have endeavored 
to do full justice to those who have been sincerely desirous 
of avoiding any thing like deception of their friends and 
others. Many, nay, most all, the phenomena exhibited by 
them are. susceptible of physiological explanation. But 
we have at the same time tried to show how the most sur- 
prising feats of the great exhibitors have proceeded from 
frauds practiced on the credulity of spectators. The pres- 
ent seems a fitting time to discuss the subject, the whirl- 
wind of excitement has passed away. Facts have been 
collected, discussed and arranged. The sober second- 
thought of mankind, not always reliable yet by no means 
to be despised, has pronounced against the arrogant pre- 
tensions of the spiritualists. Theologians, who had plung- 
ed into the subject with all the zeal of the schoolmen and 
the exorcists of the early ages, have perceived their folly. 
And scientific students have taken up the subject quietly 
and dispassionately notwithstanding their first expressions 
of disgust. 

In closing the series of articles on " The Marvellous m 
Modern times," we trust that the readers of the Review, 
who have followed us through what may have too oftea 
seemed to be dull detail, have learned to be cautious in 
giving their credence to all mysterious phenomena which 
purport to spring from supernatural causes. The miracle 



27 

is self-authenticating. An evident purpose is manifest in 
it. Where such self- authentication does not appear, in 
spite of all appearances to the contrary, it is safe to con- 
clude that the phenomena are susceptible of explanation by 
physical or psychological laws. There will be no end to 
manifestations of the marvellous, so long as the world 
stands, for of these it may be truly said, in the words of 
the Preacher: " The thing that hath been, it is that which 
shall be ; and that which is done is that which shall be 
done : and there is no new thing under the sun." 

Frederick city, Md. L. H. S. 




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